Summary

Description

This dataset contains a unified ESRI Geotiff with 1x1 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of El Seco, a selected portion of seafloor east of Vieques Island, derived from data collected in March and April 2009. NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Branch, in collaboration with NOAA vessel Nancy Foster and territory, federal, and private sector partners, acquired multibeam bathymetry data around Vieques Island from 3/26/09 to 4/2/09. Data was acquired with a hull-mounted Kongsberg Simrad EM 1002 multibeam echosounder (95 kHz) for water depths greater than 75 meters, and with a moon pool flange-mounted Reson 7125 multibeam echosounder (dual frequecy, 200/400 kHz) for water depths of less than 75 meters. It was processed by a NOAA contractor using CARIS HIPS software. Data has all correctors applied (attitude, sound velocity) and has been reduced to mean lower low water (MLLW) using final approved tides and zoning from NOAA COOPS. Data is in UTM zone 20 north, datum NAD83. The processed CARIS data was used to generate a CARIS BASE surface based on swath angle. An ASCII XYZ file was exported from the BASE surface and opened in ESRI ArcMap 9.x as an XY event. Then the ArcToolbox conversion tool 'Feature to Raster' was used to generate the final ESRI Geotiff. The project was conducted to meet IHO Order 1 and 2 accuracy standards, dependent on the project area and depth. All users should individually evaluate the suitability of this data according to their own needs and standards.